Court Belle’s Class May Be Decisive

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31052, 6 May 1966, Page 4

Court Belle’s Class May Be Decisive

Established class at the distance and ability on soft ground will make Court Belle a formidable contender in the £2500 Gloaming Stakes at Trentham tomorrow.

Court Belle, the top-weight with 8-9, established her ranking as one of New Zealand’s top middle-distance performers when she won the Summer Handicap over a mile and a half at the ting.

She had easy footing when she won the Summer Handicap, and conditions will again suit her tomorrow.

Court Belle is well seasoned for a hard middle distance gallop. She raced in the major staying races at Riccarton at Easter and recorded two fourths. Royal Estate won both races, which were run on firm tracks. In the second of those races, the Great Autumn Handicap, Court Belle was unable to gallop with full freedom, probably because of the firmness of the track. Her Great Autumn weight was 8-10, and she has 11b less tomorrow. This places her 11b above Dhuran, 51b above Sail Away, and 111 b above Roman Consul, which could be the pick of the northerners. Winning Form Roman Consul won over 11 furlongs at Woodville last week. He was a length better than Dhuran, which was attempting to concede 111 b. If the weights have the only bearing on their fortunes this

time Roman Consul should beat Dhuran again. Sail Away, surely the hardiest of all New Zealand’s handicap horses, beat Court Belle in a tight battle for the minor places—he was second —in the Canterbury Jockey Club’s George Adams Handicap, then won the Dominion Handicap over a mile and a quarter two days later. The run of the race went all against him in the Great Autumn Handicap, but when tried at weight-for-age in the Ormond Memorial at Hastings he gave Palisade and Sobig something to do before being beaten into third. Carrying the scale weight of 9-2, Sail Away was little more than half a length from the winner. Here, with 121 b less, he stands a great chance of improving a rather remarkable record.

Sail Away is at his best when the tracks are firm, but while he is in form his chances cannot be taken lightly in any conditions. Bandon and Baloo have been two good winners for Manawatu stables over middle distances, but have been finding it difficult to improve on minor placings this year. Bandon’s best runs in the

autumn gave him a second behind Palisade at Trentham and a third in the Great Autumn Handicap. Baloo was fourth in the race won by Roman General at Woodville. He runs his races out strongly, but he has never quite become established as a “Trentham horse.”

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